Wander Woman: A Travel Podcast

Can't we all just get along?

• Phoebe Smith • Season 3 • Episode 1

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Adventurer Phoebe Smith heads to the Central American nation of Belize, to see - in the wake of the rollback of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives in the USA - how multiple cultures can live in harmony while still celebrating their own uniqueness. The country is found on Central America’s north eastern coast,  bordered by Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea.  It's one of only two destinations in Latin America where English is the official language. This is a country that is happy with its own cultural diversity - being home to more than six ethnic groups in a country around the size of Wales. So how does Belize manage to weave so many cultures into a harmonious tapestry - wander with Phoebe to find out...

Also coming up:

  • An interview with National Geographic explorer and conservationist Jamal Galves aka The Manatee Man
  • Travel Hack: Know your Belizean ethnic groups
  • Top 10 wildlife found on land and in the sea around Belize
  • Meet Dayter Rodriguez - the first female maker of Garifuna drums
  • Discover how to pack for a land and sea adventure
  • Learn all about our Wander Woman of the Month - Gwendolyn Lizarraga aka Madam Liz - fighter for equal rights for women and the poor


Contact Wander Woman

www.Phoebe-Smith.com; @PhoebeRSmith

Speaker 1:

On this month's Wander Woman podcast.

Speaker 2:

Everybody get together because their main goal was to find somewhere to have a family and for peace. So that's why Belizeans really love each other and we get along real good.

Speaker 1:

As the USA government begins to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, I head to the Central American and Caribbean nation of Belize, in association with Travel Belize, to see how multiple cultures can live in harmony while still celebrating their own uniqueness. I also chat to Jamal Galvez, aka the Manatee Man, to learn when he became these beautiful sea cow's biggest advocate.

Speaker 3:

At 11 years old, 60 pounds. I decided to save a species that was 10 times my weight.

Speaker 1:

And I meet Belize's first female drummaker, whose passion for creating her Garifuna culture's instruments has trailblazed the way for more women to break out of traditional gender roles.

Speaker 4:

It's something for only men. It was only men to be making the drums, but myself and my sister, we both break that barrier.

Speaker 1:

Also coming up in this Belize special. Gen up on the six ethnic groups of Belize in my regular travel hack. In my top 10, discover the incredible wildlife found both on land and in the sea. In my gear chat, I help you pack for land and sea adventure. Finally, I'll be revealing this episode's Wander Woman of the Month, the traveller whose name is lost in the history books. You're listening to the Wander Woman podcast, an audio travel magazine. With me, adventurer Phoebe Smith, exploring off-the-beaten-track destinations, wild spaces, wildlife encounters and the unsung heroes behind conservation efforts. Come wander with me.

Speaker 5:

Buiti binafi is how we say good morning in Garifuna. Can you repeat Buiti binafi, buiti, buiti, buiti Binafi.

Speaker 1:

What you're listening to is my very first lesson in speaking, or at least trying to speak, garifuna. I'm in Belize, the country found on Central America's northeastern coast, bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and to the south and west, Guatemala. It's known and visited more by US citizens, not only because of its proximity to North America - Belize is reached from Miami by a two and a half hour flight but also as it is one of only two destinations in Latin America where English is the official language (Guyana is the other, in case you wondered). Yet despite its closeness geographically, the situation on the ground among its residents, in terms of living with and celebrating other cultures, is very different. It's so culturally diverse, and happily so, as my guide, Jody, explains as we drive to Dangriga in southern Belize.

Speaker 2:

Belize is diverse, so we have different cultures all over the country and, geographically speaking, north, south, east and west, you'll have different cultures all over the country and, geographically speaking, north, south, east and west, you'll have different cultures that you can find as you travel Belize. So we have six groups. So we have the Mayans first, and then we have the, then we have the Mennonites, then we have the Garifunas, then we have the Creoles, we have the Mestizos yeah, all right and then we have the West Indian community. Every group that came to the country brought something. The Garifuna brought fishing, the Amish community and the Mennonite community brought agriculture, the Mennonites and the Mayans did a lot of agriculture as well too, and the Creole did the logging.

Speaker 2:

So that's the history of the people of Belize. So wherever you're in Belize, you can find that you can have several different dishes, several different dances, and you'll come across many different cultures in Belize. And everybody get together because their main goal was to find somewhere to have a family and for peace. So that's why Belizeans really love each other and we get along real good.

Speaker 1:

So where, I asked Jodie as we neared Dangriga and the Gulisi Garifuna Museum to meet Warissa, did the Garifuna people come from?

Speaker 2:

The Garifunas originate from the island of St Vincent and again the British had a little bit of influence on them. They were actually being brought over to become slaves, but those two ships capsized off the island of St Vincent and those people escaped slavery. They were marooned off the island of St Vincent and those people escaped slavery. They were marooned on the island of St Vincent and they intermingled with the original people of that land, which were Arawaks and the Caribs, and they intermingled and they became a powerful force together. So every time the British would come and try to get those people off the land, they would battle, fight and win and the British would retreat off the land. They would battle, fight and win and the British would retreat. Now the British got tired of that and they evacuated those people by bringing in bigger ships and more warriors with them and they outcasted the Garifuna people off the island of St Vincent. They ended up in Honduras for a bit and then they made their way over to Belize.

Speaker 1:

One thing you should know about the Garifuna, Warissa told me after testing my language skills, is that it's all about the music, especially the drums, of which there are two kinds.

Speaker 5:

The Segunda is said to be the mother drum because it sets the pace. It is constant. The Primero is said to be the father drum because it adds embellishment. If you were to look at the drum, everything on the drum is from the forest, except for the rope. The rope acts as a glue. It holds the drum together. The top of the drum is a thin of a deer. It represents communication, whether it's through our music, our language, our clothing, our food, our belief.

Speaker 8:

The snare on the drums represents value.

Speaker 5:

It do not matter how small we are as a culture. Our voices will be heard. The vine represents connection. It do not matter what we are doing. When socialising with the wider world, we should not forget who we are as a people.

Speaker 1:

This was really quite pertinent. The size of the Garifuna population is said to be 300,000 worldwide, so there is a real danger that the language and traditions will be lost. After the museum, I headed to the gallery of Pen Cayetano, an artist and musician in the town. Before I met him, I joined his sister to cook hadut, a traditional dish comprising mashed plantain called fu-fu and a coconut fish stew, and asked how common it is for young people to speak the Garifuna language today.

Speaker 9:

There are a lot of Garifuna kids that don't speak it. Yeah, of course you know, so they're trying all over now to even teach it in school. They're kids growing up. You don't even know if they're Garifunas or or Creole, because everybody speaks the Creole and sometimes you are talking to that child and you know she's a Garifuna, come from a Garifuna home, but she looks like what you're saying just what you're saying.

Speaker 1:

Creole, which is the cultural group that descends from the slaves that the British brought over from the West Indies via Africa, and the white slave owners themselves, spawned its own language of the same name, which is the most commonly heard in the country. Yet now the government is getting involved to help teach Garifuna in schools and encourage its use. However, its resurgence may come down to something else, something that harks back to its cultural roots - music.

Speaker 9:

Oh, OK, that's interesting, but they hardly even talk it.

Speaker 1:

Pen Caytano, whose gallery I was in, was instrumental in making Garifuna music cool. While the traditional sound here called punta was losing popularity in the 1970s, he redefined the genre, fusing it with more modern instruments and sounds and playing percussion on a turtle shell. It became punta rock and reignited the young people then to feel proud of their cultural heritage. He gave me a demo of the original sound.

Speaker 7:

I take a stick and I put a little clump of something on it and this clump of something on, it and this it's got so many songs. It's a unique song that people first hear in Belize.

Speaker 1:

Before I left Pen's Studio, he'd invited a dance and singing troupe to perform for me, and afterwards I chatted to the leader, Margaret M Castillo, of the Uwarani Cultural Dance Group, who has seen more little ones and youth join up.

Speaker 8:

I'm still teaching it because I don't want it to die. I want it to continue on Any children that come around, I don't say you can't join the group. We have a lot of people right now that join the group and the only thing is is because do not get like any funds for the children, we have to um, sponsor them. Yeah, okay, yeah. So that is one thing that we need sponsorship for the children.

Speaker 8:

Yes, I am, you're not gonna let it die no no no, I will not let it die.

Speaker 1:

Speaking to Margaret, highlighted why signing up to excursions like this, where there is an actual monetary value placed on preserving the culture, is so important. Elsewhere in Belize there is another cultural group whose legacy is everywhere the Maya. So I left my Garifuna friends to head north to , where I met my guide, Gershwin Valdez, who explained just how long the Maya have lived here.

Speaker 7:

If you take a look to your right-hand side, you'll be able to see a mound nearby, probably like 50 meters away. That is where, actually, the University of California discovered a small village or settlement dating all the way to 1300 BC. So that is the time period when this valley actually gets occupied by the Mayas and the individuals within this community. Right here would have been the individuals that begin the journey, moving uphill until they reach the area that we'll get to visit today.

Speaker 1:

That's right. The Maya were the original Belizean population, the same ones that the British would have seen when they arrived much later, in 1638. I spent a couple of hours walking around the ruins at , where there were, miraculously, only about ten of the people. Compared to the Maya sites in Mexico, these seem practically unknown but hugely impressive. In the 18th century, hispanic people from neighbouring Mexico and Guatemala came to Belize to escape a caste system and many integrated with the Maya, today recognised as the Mestizos, the largest cultural group in Belize. Yet the Maya are still here the Yucatec, who originated from the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, cuauhtemoc Maya, who escaped enslavement in Guatemala in the 1870s, and the Mopan, found mainly in the Cayo District, which is where I headed next. I was going to go jaguar trekking in the Cockscombe Basin Wildlife Sanctuary and Jaguar Preserve. I picked up my guide Ouzcal at Maya Center and headed in to start our walk. Along the way, he taught me a bit of the Mopan language.

Speaker 11:

Makakaba, who is your name? Ah Tubabaka, where are you going? And then you will answer Binkatiha, I'm going to the river.

Speaker 1:

Binkatiha? How would you say, I can see a jaguar the river.

Speaker 11:

How would you say I can see a jaguar. I can see a jaguar In Katinvila Balum. Balum is Mopan word for jaguar.

Speaker 1:

Spoiler alert.

Speaker 1:

We didn't actually see one. Endangered and shy, they are tricky to spot, even with several days in the jungle. But what I did learn from Ouscal was how his people right up until 1981, used to call Cockscombe home, and his brother was even one of the people who helped do the research needed to establish the reserve. However, when it was made, they and all the Maya were made to leave the now protected area. I could tell it was still a raw issue talking about this, but Ouscal did want to recognise some of the positives that came from it.

Speaker 11:

The good part of it is, when the Belize Audubon Society started to find tours tour guide, we are the first ones who were being told to do the tours. It's my brother who was the first one who can come and do the local tours. It's my brother who was the first one who can do come and do the local tours. So that's how we are still doing tours up to today day. Some good part is because you see the women's group. They're, groups there and they are doing a small, um, handmade, where they can provide things on the table for their children. And then some of the children can come and visit Cockscomb and some of the children go and do education and find out, oh, this is what we are benefiting from Cockscomb, because of the watershed and because of the forest and because that forest, oh, we are having a lot of tourists come and visit.

Speaker 1:

It's pertinent that Ouscal mentioned women. On the way into the reserve there's a women's group who, as he explained, issues the permits, sells handmade crafts and connects tourists with genuine Maya tour guides. It's so important to have a local Maya guide, as not only does it help the community, but the cultural information that they share when it comes to the forest is outstanding. I have never learned so much in two hours as I did with Ouscel in Cockscombe. But a little further northwest there's another women's group worth checking out, who formed a cooperative in the town of San Antonio to not only celebrate their culture but help give work to local women who, culturally, did not have the opportunity to get a job. I signed up for a cooking and pottery workshop and met their president, Timotea Mesh.

Speaker 12:

We can proudly say that our village is one of the only villages that still keeps its culture. We are known to be as a farming village. If we walk down the streets, we can hear people speaking the Mayan language even our language among ourselves. We're happy that you're here with us.

Speaker 1:

The organisation was set up by nine local women 20 years ago and offers the chance for visitors to try their hand at making a corn tortilla from scratch something I definitely did not do well, despite trying my hardest. You also get to sample the local cuisine and have a go at making Maya pottery, both learning the traditional and modern way. It was great to know that by doing these activities, it was also helping in many other ways. Timotea explained how, when it started, it was a real challenge because people around here would try and hide their Maya culture. But now even the youth are getting involved.

Speaker 12:

In 2022, we were awarded by the Belize Tourism Board as the best cultural experience in Belize and we were nationwide recognized. There was our first recognition nationally and when we, our people, our community, learned about this or they, it's like woke up, everybody woke up. Everybody opened their eyes and say, okay, this is something good, this is, this is something that needs to be done. And we saw people, more people, coming in, we saw younger people wanting to be around here.

Speaker 1:

It was really positive to hear that the younger generation is embracing their Mayan culture, and when I checked into my hotel that evening Ka'ana an eco-resort in the jungle and noticed a Mayan massage was offered, I went to go and ask the young masseuse all about it.

Speaker 13:

So the Mayan abdominal massage is a massage that has been passed on from generation to generation within the Mayan community. So when you would visit a shaman, the first thing that they do is they come by the diaphragm and they check for a pulse and depending on the intensity of the pulse, they'll be like, oh, you have susto if it's a bit too high. And susto can be all the way from all the way from anxiety to trauma, um and yeah. So what we do is we loosen the muscle of the diaphragm so that the aorta, which is the artery that passes from our heart down normally, would become restricted and that is what causes that pulse. So it's like a hose that if you fold it in, there's so much pressure at the top and less at the bottom, and then many times people that have susto, they have cold extremities like cold fingers, cold feet. So what we do is we work on that muscle, we loosen that up so that blood can flow more freely to the organs down here.

Speaker 1:

And with it being a stomach massage, I naturally had one pressing question Is there a danger, then, of passing gas when you're doing the abdominal work?

Speaker 13:

Yes, it is it is, it is absolutely, but it's totally normal. It doesn't happen much and if it does, maybe I don't remember it happens discreetly.

Speaker 1:

Leaving with better digestion and having escaped any embarrassment, I promise I slept really well, and the next morning I went out fresh with my mestizo guide to hear another local language of the bird variety. That was the keel-billed toucan, the national bird for the country, whose voice is prized just as much as all the others. But no trip to Belize would be complete without a visit to the ocean, and so I headed to my final stop of Placencia, a small town on a southern peninsula. Along the way, I passed several horse-drawn carriages of the Amish, stopped for ice cream at a Mennonite dairy shop in the middle of the countryside they are known as the farmers of Belize. Before immersing myself in the Creole culture by the coast, I felt like everyone I'd met had given so much to me that when I signed up for a dive and was asked if I'd join in with some spearfishing the invasive lionfish despite me being a vegetarian, I had to say yes. And, as it turns out, I was pretty damn good at it.

Speaker 10:

Oh, phoebe, you're a natural. You did great on your first shot. You got it. You're great. You're a natural. You did great on your first shot, you got it. You're great. You're good girl, you're good. Thank you, you're a natural, for sure. You're welcome back. I'll put you on my team for the lionfish derby.

Speaker 1:

After our small team caught 25 of them. Side note to those who don't know this invasive species destroys the reef and local creatures as it has no natural predators. I was amazed to learn that no part of our haul would be wasted. In true Belizean fashion, everything is shared between different businesses the filleted meat goes to restaurants to serve a ceviche, the bones are ground down to go into pet treats for a local supplier, and the decorative spines and fins. Well, back on land, I met a Belizean couple, abby and Willie from Fins Belize, who do something rather special with it.

Speaker 6:

We have a bracelet that is full of stainless steel, completely. We also make necklaces stainless steel, and we also make a pendant and we use a string for it. What else?

Speaker 12:

Keychain, keychain, rings, earrings stainless steel, and we also make a pendant, pendant and we use a string. We make everything.

Speaker 1:

It sounds like the perfect system, doesn't it? Getting paying tourists in to catch a species that's damaging the environment and thereby benefiting the local restaurants they eat at, hotels they stay at and tour companies they use, then sustainably using every single part of the lionfish to benefit many local businesses. But despite all this good work when it comes to the lionfish, it can be easy to become jaded when you realise they produce around two million babies every single year. But then I think it's vital to still recognise that good things happen when passionate people work together. In a similar way, it's a lot like wondering if multiple cultural groups can ever live in harmony, especially when a major world player is banging the drum saying that they can't. But then that's maybe why, when we find a place like Belize where, although there will always be issues to address on the ground, the people are doing it and thriving with efforts, continuously helping keep the differences and celebrate each other, as Willy from Finn says,

Speaker 12:

If we make more awareness then everybody will know, and they want to do that.

Speaker 1:

Well said, Willy. Well said.

Speaker 1:

That was me in Belize witnessing firsthand that diversity is something to be celebrated rather than afraid of. I'm not pretending that there aren't ever problems that have and still do need working through. But one thing was clear: Everyone I met seemed happy to be surrounded by difference and united through respect and curiosity rather than fear. Belize gave me hope that we can all live in harmony, because - and not despite - of our differences.

Speaker 1:

Now, there's no denying that, for a small country, there's a huge range of ethnic groups, but that was what made this trip so memorable for me. It felt like I'd traveled to multiple countries in a single week, and the reason for that is the multitude of languages and cultures you'll encounter. That's why I decided that this episode's travel hack would give you a potted rundown of the major groups in Belize. Soon you'll be chatting away in Creole in no time.

Speaker 1:

First up is the Maya, the oldest ethnic group in Belize. They are thought to have been present in the region since the second millennium BCE Sites can be found across the country, including Shenantanich that I visited, Carakol, Altun Ha and the vast El Pilar site, which is still only partially excavated, and many more. A great way to get to know the culture is through a chocolate making or cooking experience, like the one I did.

Speaker 1:

Another largest group is the Hispanic mestizos, just over 50% of the population. The people are descended from a mix of Mayan and Spanish people, a coming together of cultures that happened almost immediately after the Spanish landed in the region. Mestizos are more commonly found in the northern regions and its culture celebrated for its delicious food that includes tamales and panandas, as well as corn tortillas.

Speaker 1:

Next up are the Belizean Creoles. While English is the official language of Belize and Spanish is the most widely spoken, the vernacular language is Belizean Creole. The origins of Creoles here began in the late 18th century, when British settlers and African slaves mixed. The language is based on English and easily understood, but there are some very pleasing phrases. Pikni means children, cho means wow, and it's widely used, and our favourite is the word for fireworks 'papshat'. papshat

Speaker 1:

.

Speaker 1:

The Garifuna people make up only 4% of the population, but their influence is widespread. As you've heard, these people are descendants of the free men and women who lived on St Vincent. They are known for drumming that you'll hear all around Belize and exquisite food. In 2001, unesco proclaimed the Chinese language, music and dance to be among the masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. There is also a Mennonite population of around 12,000, many of whom work in agriculture. They speak Plodish, which is a low German dialect, and tend to keep to themselves. Although, do try the ice cream if you get a chance. And then add in people with Indian and Arab ancestry, chinese and English and American, and you have a rich, colourful, diverse and open culture, remarkable for a country a little larger than Wales and with fewer than 400,000 people. That's roughly the population of the English city of Leicester.

Speaker 1:

That was my Wander Woman travel hack, the advice I offer every single episode to help you be a more knowledgeable traveller.

Speaker 1:

Now, someone who really is knowledgeable, especially when it comes to wildlife, is my next guest, Jamal Galvez, aka Manatee Man, for the uninitiated. Manatees are a large plant-eating mammal that looks something like a cross between a hippo and a seal. They spend the bulk of their days either eating, sleeping or farting. They are harmless to us but vital to our ecosystem, acting like the gardeners of the sea and contributing greatly to our ocean's health. Yet we are killing them at an alarming rate through boat strike, habitat destruction due to construction and the tearing out of mangroves, entanglement with fishing gear and the fact that they eat the garbage that we throw into the water. Since he was a child yes, really, Jamal has dedicated his life to helping bring awareness to the plight of the Antillean manatee. I caught up with him in a restaurant in the capital of Belmopan, so excuse the background chatter, to find out how he got started and what we can all do to help save these graceful animals.

Speaker 3:

I grew up in a small village named Gales Point Manatee. I never inspired to be a conservationist, it wasn't on my plate. I've always dreamt of being an attorney. I love law, I love courts, I love law, I love courts, I love. I love solving problems. So this is the problem I'm left to solve, trying to save an animal's life.

Speaker 3:

Growing up in Gales Point Manatee, named after the species, I've always known about Manatees. They're always there. The village is named after them. It's common to see them there. It's kind of like seeing a bird For me. Growing up there, and when I was younger I was 11 years old I saw this weird looking boat go by. It says Manantee Research. It has an engine in the front and this weird tower, like a kid who sees a cool car and is fascinated by the boat, and I wanted to get in the boat. I wanted to be a part of that boat. I wanted to get on that boat, ride that boat and I started asking questions and eventually I found out that they were doing Manantee research and I remember my cousins and I would play in my grandma's land manantee rescue and fight to see who gets to guide the cool boat, who gets to be the doctor and eventually my passion, my interest sort of grew in my grandma's land. I wanted more than just to play manantee rescue, I wanted to actually do it. So I walked down to the dock where they live and I approached the guy who's actually still my boss today. I'm like 11 years old. I approached this guy Dr James Spock and Dr James Powell. I said to him I want to come out with you guys. He looked at me and shrugged for a second and said ah, kid, you're too small. He was right, I was too small. I was very small, very skinny little kid pulled up to the dock with no footwear, no shirt and I am good at making an I'm about to cry face. I was very disappointed. I was very angry. In a way I was very saddened that I wasn't going to get to come out with them after I already practiced and I'm ready for the real thing and I made an I'm about to cry face, I guess to fill in his heart. And basically he took a chance at an 11 year old kid. I went out with these guys.

Speaker 3:

I was a well-known scientist, learning what these animals are doing, learning their research, understanding that these animals are endangered. As a kid back then, endangered wasn't a word, true or wrong I never knew what it meant. Seeming and visiting the water for the first time was fascinating for me. Seeing them with scars was. I couldn't understand what they were, so asking questions I mean I'm pretty sure the scientists were sick of me, because I had a thousand questions and they told me that they were from boats and I couldn't, my mind wasn't able to understand. How could, how did boat? I couldn't imagine a boat hitting a manante. It just didn't make sense to me. And seeing them there, seeing them helpless, seeing these cars, knowing their plight, learning their journey, knowing that this is something that I see every day and I never knew that they suffered in this life made me wish that I had some sort of a superhero power that I could pick them up and just take them somewhere safe.

Speaker 3:

At 11 years old, 60 pounds, I decided to save a species that was 10 times my weight. So I remember clearly that night I got home I was so fascinated. I was talking about when I'm busy all night. My cousins were sick of me and my grandma was like nobody wanted to hear anymore from me. I couldn't sleep. I wasn't sure if I could not sleep because I was so fascinated or I was afraid that I'd oversleep and they'd leave me the next day. So I got up at about two o'clock in the morning to take a shower and my grandma's like what are you doing? I'm like I'm taking a shower. She's like what are you? I'm like I'm going to go rescue him. And this is the researcher. She's like you, don't leave until 9 o'clock, go to your bed, regardless.

Speaker 3:

I got there about 5.30 in the morning and I remembered from the day before the equipment what boats they loaded onto. There's many boats, many equipment, and I started loading these equipment onto the boats and the guy who was my boss today sits there with his darts and glasses drinking his coffee and just look at me, probably wondering what the hell is this kid doing? And nobody else is there. The crew comes. Nobody realizes that the boats are already loaded. Nobody asked any question. Everybody gets on the boat. We get out there. Doctors are doctors. I memorized the entire process for the doctors. I knew when they were going to take blood. I knew when they were going to Before they could have asked for it. I've already gotten the stethoscope. I've already gotten the kit I've already.

Speaker 3:

I just wanted to feel like I'm a part of the group. I wanted to be a part of this team. I wanted to show them that I'm, even though I'm young, even though I'm small, I can. I can be helpful, and I wanted them to recognize me, and just being out there it took me to a place that I'd never been. Literally, I lost my way in terms of thinking about law and wanting to do law.

Speaker 3:

Sometimes, when it comes to you, you're just going to know, and when it came to me, I just knew that that was my calling. I felt that it was one of the greatest honor. I felt that it was one of the greatest gifts given to me to understand this species, to be able to tell their story and to sacrifice. I mean, I've sacrificed my entire childhood to do this. I was volunteering with these researchers every summer. Every year. I wasn't kicking football or fishing and doing all those stuff. I gave up my childhood to save this species and it's a journey that, if I was to do it again, I'll do it all over again.

Speaker 3:

I believe that some people are meant to be doctors, lawyers, police officers, and I'm meant to be a manatee researcher. So if I had another job, I'll do this for free. This is my calling, this is my passion, and there's no, there's no amount of money you can pay me for this. The gratitude is from seeing those animals back in the world. The gratitude is from being hugged by a rescuer and to knowing that for them, it's the most powerful word unspoken. I'm grateful for you, and so for me. Now it's just to inspire the next mind, inspire the next generation of conservationists, not just the conservationists, but conservationists in general, because people don't wake up in the morning thinking that they're gonna see the planet. Something has to inspire them, something has to, and so for me, it's being up in front, being in places where I can speak up and speak loud, and sharing that message. And the most important tool in conservation is the message and the listening ear.

Speaker 1:

Give me an example of what would be a day in the life of the Manatee Man man?

Speaker 3:

wake up every day. Perhaps I have a plan, but nothing never goes according to plan. I can literally be on a boat somewhere monitoring, doing research, collecting information, collecting data, tracking animals that we have tagged in an office, writing proposal, responding to emails, doing a Zoom presentation to kids across the world in an office space, in an elementary school or a university, and a staging somewhere in Europe or the United States talking to 20,000 people. It literally is a like. It requires for you to be multi-talented in a way, because I'm versed in my research aspect, I'm versed in the awareness aspect, I'm versed in talking to politicians lobbying for protection. I'm versed in writing scientific papers.

Speaker 3:

But the most important verse for me is to be inspirational, to inspire people to want to protect their species, to inspire people to want to wake up and be a part of making a difference. Conservation is not a spectator sport. There's too many people standing in the stands cheering us on. We want people to get out of the stands and come down to the field and pull their socks up and put their boots on and help with this. There's so much that's left that's worth fighting for and there's not enough people fighting for it, so it's to get people that have normal jobs to see that they can also be a part of it. Dedicating an hour from your day to contribute to making the world a better place is not a lot to ask for a place that has given you life.

Speaker 1:

I was going to ask what can most people do? What can maybe tourists who come to belize?

Speaker 3:

What can we do to help and that's one of the most common question what can people do? And people often see conservation and they think money it mean donate. Literally it's click of a button is sharing a post on social media. When you share a post on social media by literally the click of a button, you've opened that message to a new audience, people that are not able to be reached, and those people will be able to see that information and learn about the species that probably are not even in the country that they live.

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Often times we hear in the news, people hear about species going extinct either a rhino or a vaquita dolphin. We often sit, maybe we cry a little bit, and our first instinct is that somebody's going to do something about it. When you have 20 million people around the world saying someone's going to do something about it and then you turn on the TV a week later and you see that species gone extinct, you know why? Because nobody did something about it. Because who's somebody? I was 11 years old and somebody had to save manatees. I took that plight at 11 years old. What's their excuse?

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That was National Geographic explorer, conservationist and the Manatee Man, Jamal Galvez, a man whose passion for the manatees is actually infectious. Look him up @TheRealM anateeMan on Instagram and learn more about these wonderful ocean-dwelling mammals and his ongoing fight to protect them.

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But of course, it's not only manatees that dwell in Belize. There's a whole host of wonderful wildlife just waiting to be discovered or slinking off into the vegetation while you fumble around for your camera. Luckily, I've prepared my top ten to tell you what they are and where best to find them, and maybe, if you where best to find them and maybe, if you're lucky, photograph them.

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First up is the big ticket, Scarlet Macaw. This vibrantly coloured bird is endemic across Latin America. In Belize, you'll find them flitting along the Maya Mountains and amongst the Chicabul Forest. The beauty of these birds has led to them being threatened by an illegal trade. The bird is described as endangered in Belize, with fewer than 250 individuals left. The Belize Bird Conservancy is a great place to start learning about and seeing these birds.

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At nine is the keel-billed toucan, the national bird of Belize, known locally as the billbird. Its bill yellow, orange, red, green and black is astonishing to see. The toucans are found throughout Belize's forests and nest in tree trunks. They're usually found playing or foraging in the ground, and the reason for the big bill? Apparently it's to help with heat loss.

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At eight, it's the national animal of Belize, the Baird's tapir. This lovely little mammal is related to the horse but looks a bit like a rhino. They are regularly seen across Belize and love chomping on grasses and fruits of shrubs, and sometimes are found in cornfields.

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At seven is the jaguar, the third largest wildcat and a fan of Belize's national animal, although they're not too picky, also hunting deer, peccaries and armadillos. The jaguar is threatened in Belize and somewhere between 800 and 1,000 remain. A fun fact, they prefer to kill their prey with a single bite through the skull. You'll find them in the reserve I visited on my trip

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At six is the noisiest animal here, the Yucatan black howler monkey, whose sound can be heard through the lowland forests of Belize. You'll hear them before you see them, but they love hanging around in breadnut trees. The best place to see them is in the community baboon sanctuary about 30 miles from Belize City. At five is the hummingbird, or one of the 26 species here, including the evocatively named purple-crowned fairy, blue-throated sapphire and the green-breasted mango. The best way to see them, just sit patiently outside and wait for them to zip over. Oh, and, if you've never seen a sleeping hummingbird yet, you don't know what cute looks like. At four is the green iguana. No, not for the squeamish, but some people in Belize eat iguanas and some people believe their eggs are aphrodisiacs. They are familiar enough, especially in the rainforests, but the populations are dwindling. The Green Iguana Conservation Project at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel is a great place to see them and learn about the hatching and release programme.

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For the last three, we're heading to Belize's coastline with, first of all, the nurse shark. They are a common sight in the reefs of Belize. The best place to see them is at the Holchan Marine Reserve located in San Pedro, where you can snorkel alongside them. Do avoid any operator, though, that says it feeds the sharks.

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At two, it's the spotted eagle ray, an elegant sea creature that appears to fly through the sea, distinctive by the spots on its back. You'll see them around the edge of a reef, constantly in motion, hunting molluscs.

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And at one is the lovable Antillean manatee. Belize has the highest density of these mammals, but they are in danger due to habitat loss and, more commonly boat strikes. It's thought there are now only around 2,500 left. These lumbering mammals, known as sea cows, are adaptable, swimming in the lakes, sea rivers, reefs and mangroves of Belize, munching on seagrass.

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That was my regular top ten, the segment that always gets me excited to pack my binoculars and sense of adventure and take off before the episode has even ended. But don't! Because before you do, you want to ensure that you've packed the right kit so you can have a great adventure both on land and in the water, and you soon will, thanks to this month's gear chat. As a woman who hates packing at the best of times, I find it particularly awkward when it comes to compiling a list of things I'll need when my journey encompasses two different terrains. Belize has a wonderful mix of jungle with nature's own plunge pools aka waterfalls, beaches and ocean to explore. So what key items do you need to pack that covers all of these terrains without busting your luggage allowance. Here's my list, which you're welcome to use and I've honestly not created just so I can refer to it myself next time.

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To start with, for your top, go for a rashy. That's the swimsuit-type fabric of a t-shirt or vest. That's perfect for stopping sunburn when you're snorkelling, keeping you warm when diving and cool post-dip in the jungle. It's also lightweight and quick drying, so you can walk in it and swim in it and hang it out to dry overnight.

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For your bottoms, go for zip-off trousers, preferably impregnated with insect repellent, as these bugs, especially in the jungle, can be annoying. This means if you need to afford a river, for example, you only have to remove the bottom part of the trouser and if you get cooler in the evening, you can simply put them back on For post dive, swim or walk.

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To keep clothing items to a minimum, I strongly suggest for us ladies a maxi dress. It covers a multitude of sins and is peak comfort. For the guys and girls. I'd also suggest a wearable towel very acceptable, comfortable and keeps you warm on a boat.

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Finally, for those of you who care about your hair, I have to recommend, with no sponsorship in sight, taking 3 Minute Miracle Conditioner for your hair Post dive or snorkel while even still on the boat. Work it through from roots to tip and wash it off only when you get back to your hotel, because and even though I'm mixing brands here you definitely are worth it.

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That was my regular gear guru section where I try to help take the stress out of ensuring your bag has the right tools for the job. Now, one woman who always has the perfect implements to practice her craft is the inspiring drum maker Dayter Rodriguez. Both her and her sister changed history when they became the first female makers of Garifuna ceremonial drums. I caught up with her - and her chainsaw - to learn how she got the bug for woodwork and what it has meant for the younger generation seeing a female do a traditional man's job.

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I've been making the drums for over 27 years. I learned it from my dad, Austin Rodriguez. He's the master drum maker. Thanks to him that I know what to do today.

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What got you interested in it?

Speaker 4:

What got me interested in the drum making is that my dad, every day I come from school like it started. I grew up into the drum making business but I didn't have the interest. It's like when I reached the age of 15, coming from school school every day, coming from school, I would see my dad sitting down and then I would say but, daddy, aren't you supposed to be working? He said, yes, I'm supposed to be working, but why aren't you working? He said, ah, I am my own boss. I said, hmm, I want to be just like you when I grow up. And he said nothing is impossible. As long as you put your mind to something, you're gonna get it done. I said, okay, another day it weeks went by, months went by until finally I decided. I said you know what, daddy, can I help you do some sanding for the drum? Yeah, he said yes. So he showed me how to sand the drum. I started to sign the drummer and I asked him another question. I said, daddy, to sand the drum.

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I started to sand the drum and I asked him another question. I said Daddy, how will I know that the drum is ready? He said, ah, just sand until you smell garlic. So I sand, and I sand, and I sand and I noticed the drum, the log itself got so smooth. I said but, daddy, the drum is smooth, but I still haven't smelled the garlic. He said but, daddy, the drum is smooth, but I still haven't smelled the garlic. He said don't worry, you're going to smell it another time. And it went for years and years trying to smell this garlic and still haven't smelled the garlic. When I learned how to make the drum, that's when I found it I said but, daddy, I never, ever get the chance to smell the scent of garlic from out of the log. He just burst out. And he laughed. He said you silly, you can't smell garlic from out of a log, that's what he told me.

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I said but why did you tell me to smell garlic? Eat sun until I smell garlic. He said you can't smell garlic from out of a mahogany log or a mayflower log. I said but why did you tell me to sun until I smell garlic? He said oh, you can't smell garlic from out of a mahogany log or a mayflower log. I said but why did you tell me to sun until I smell garlic? He said, ah, it's for you to sun to perfection. It's for you to put out good work, quality work. You need to put out quality work. It's not about the money, it's about the quality of work that you put out.

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And that's how I learned how to make my drum. But I learned how to shape out my log, even like sand it, varnish it, fix it up. The only thing that I couldn't do was taking out the center of the drum. That was the hardest part to me. I was very afraid of it because the chainsaw I was very afraid of the chainsaw. My dad, like a busload of tourists, came to the house and then they all wanted drums and they saw a log that I shaped out and looked so nice and everything. So they said I want that log. That was the first time I'd made my own money from out of my that I made from with my log. So I took the money, didn't even tell my dad.

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But eventually what I told my dad that can you please help me take out the center of the lab, I said. He said no, I'm busy. I said, but that you're not doing anything. He said yes, I'm busy. So he picked up the line and he started to son, I get so mad because this drum they're supposed to leave tomorrow.

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Well, my dad didn't want to help me, according to me. Well, I end up taking the chainsaw, putting the glue, putting the gas and I start the chainsaw. I saw my dad just staring at me. I said, but see, you're not doing anything. He looked down back and he started to stand again and leave me and he left me alone. He looked down back and he started to stand again and leave me and he left me alone. I get so mad. I take the chains and I push it in the log and I stopped and I looked at him and like he was looking at me, staring at me, and as soon as he seen my eye contact he just like turned away and he started to do it. I said but daddy, you're not doing it, please help me. See, I already collected for this job. He see, I know he was waiting.

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He was waiting and like he still he still didn't came to help me and like I got so mad with him and I just pushed the chainsaw right through and I went around and take out the center. It wasn't as perfect as how he did it, but it came out and he like, yes, you did it. You did it. I said, but why didn't you want to help me? You're excited? No, but you didn't want to help me. He said, yes, the reason for that if I had helped you, tomorrow would come again. You would ask again for help and ask again, following it.

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One of these days, days, I might just go pass away and then you won't be able to make your own drum and I want you to work for yourself. I don't want you to have any boss or I don't want you to depend on anybody or any man. I want you to depend on yourself. I said, oh, okay, that's when he got up and he showed me how to clean it all then. Then I realized that he didn't. It's not because he didn't want to help me, just want me to learn it on my own, to do it on my own. And that's the first step, that I started to do everything on my own

Speaker 1:

How old were you then when that happened?

Speaker 4:

I was like 20, 25, roughly like 20, 25 years old when I started to take out the center on my own. And then, um, now my dad is 93 years old he'll be 94 years old October 23rd yeah, um, now I'm the one taking out the center of his drums. So I say, did you remember that time? I tell you, um, have me make taking out my own center. Okay, get up and do it on your own. You say, girl, I taught you how to do that, so you best do my job. So, um, every day he would tell me you know what I could die now because you know how to do every single thing. That I know how to do. You're my legacy. I left my legacy now, so you picked up from where I left.

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So, he, he had this. He always had this idea to teach youths how to make the drums. The reason why he got why not, is for him to teach youths how to make the jump. But it didn't. It wasn't successful. Yeah, so, um, that's where I picked up, because that's his legacy, that's what he wanted. So now I'm teaching youths. Every year around july, I have um drum making classes for youths. This year, um, we only wanted like 20 students. I had 48 students, no counting. We still have students coming in to make their own drums, so it passes 50, like 55 students.

Speaker 1:

Wow yeah, and is it common for a woman to do this job?

Speaker 4:

No, it's not common. It's not something because myself and my sister, Rodriguez, we both making the drums. We're the only two females making the drums. It's something for only men. It was only men to be making the drums. We're the only two females making the drums. It's something for only men. It was only men to be making the drums. But myself and my sister, we both broke that barrier.

Speaker 1:

So no, what was the reaction like when you first, when they realised that your dad was teaching you guys to take over?

Speaker 4:

They said hey it's a woman making the drum. The excitement and then the compliments. Oh, we're so proud of you. We're so excited that you guys are making the drums to continue on with the tradition and the culture.

Speaker 1:

So there was no pushback against being a woman. No, we just Do you think it was just no one had tried to challenge it.

Speaker 4:

I think no one tried to challenge it because in my culture itself we got the support from the community. You know the encouragement. Yeah, we have that.

Speaker 1:

And how important is it? I've been to the Garifuna Museum and seen how important the drums are within the culture yes, very, very important. How does it feel to be making something that's such an integral part of your culture?

Speaker 4:

Well, for my part, it's not a job for me, it's something that I love making the drum. This is my passion making the drum and I'm so proud of myself. I'm so proud of my dad for encouraging us to continue on with the culture. I put my hats I just take my hat off to my dad. Thanks to my dad, Austin Rodriguez, because without him, I wouldn't be here today making the drums.

Speaker 1:

That was this episode's Hidden Hero, the trailblazer, doing incredible work in the communities they work in to preserve culture, wildlife or community. And already it's nearly the end of the episode, so time for me to share with you my utterly incredible Wander Woman of the month. I hope you've enjoyed what you've heard. Please do subscribe so you never miss an episode, and please, please, please, do leave a review. It means so very much. You can follow me on @PhoebeRSmith, and Facebook too. Find me on Blue Sky and go to my website, phoebe-smith. com, where you can sign up for my occasional newsletter and, of course, send me a message.

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Now this episode. We head back to the 1950s to join a proud Belizean woman on her fight for equal rights.

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Turning up on her father's mahogany and chicle farms in a battered Land Rover, Gwendolyn Margaret , aka Madam Liz, cut quite the figure. She wore trousers, usually had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and always had a revolver strapped to her belt. She was outspoken and authoritative. She needed to be In the male-dominated world of British Honduras, as Belize was called when she was born in 1901, there was no universal suffrage and great disparities of wealth, especially between men and women.

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Madame Liz was responsible for changing much of this. She trailblazed a career for women in politics, became a minister, gave more women the vote and developed social housing. She redefined the role of women in Belize At the farms. She gave women equal pay for equal work in the Chick-fil-A farms. Large US companies such as Wrigley's bought this natural gum to make chewing gum, and Madden Liz was always at the forefront of the negotiations.

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She was born in Maskell, british Honduras, a lowland, swampy tropical zone that is carved by rivers and filled with wildlife. Nearby is Altenhaar and the remains of a large ancient Mayan city populated between 9000 BC and 1000 AD. It's unlikely that a young Gwendolyn would have even known about it, however, as it was only rediscovered in 1963 by local quarrymen. Not much of known as her childhood, but aged 25, she married a police photographer called Victor Manuel and had five children. The idea of social justice was always close to her heart. She organised women's groups and helped start centres to help women, and she was co-founder of the United Women's Credit Union, which encouraged women to save, no matter how small the amount.

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In the 1950s, when only property owners were allowed to vote, madame Liz helped women buy a lot of land and build housing. And then, in 1959, she founded the United Women's Group, the women's arm of the People's United Party, the dominant political party in Belize. 900 women signed up almost immediately with the goals of empowering women culturally, economically and politically. The group set up two new schools, with the United Women's Group clearing the mangroves from the swamps with two-man saws. In 1961, the first year women were allowed to run in elections, wendolyn became the first woman elected to the National Assembly of British Honduras. During her second term she was appointed Minister of Education, housing and Social Services and with it became the country's first female minister.

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And if you head to Kings Park, lake Independence and Queen's Square in Belize City today, you'll find the houses she was directly involved in building.

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Her passions didn't stop there. She was an excellent chess player and founded the first chess club in Belize. She was also a folklorist and a choreographer, particularly leading the revival of the mestizo dances. When she died in 1975, at the age of 73, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of the country were her pallbearers.

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Unlike many of the women we cover in this section, she has become widely recognised and revered in Belize during her lifetime and afterwards, the Madam Liz Award is given by the Belize Women's Political Caucus to a woman who has worked tirelessly to improve lives for Belizean women and children. Yet she isn't known outside of the country, and I want to change that, because Madame Liz wasn't just a leader, she was a movement and, like all things Belize, we celebrate her uniqueness.

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That was the first of this season's Wander Woman of the Month, the hidden heroine that's been lost to the history books Even three seasons in, and I am still in awe of the incredible women that the wider world doesn't seem to know about. Together, we can work to change that. Keep tuning in.

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In the next episode of the Wander Woman podcast, I journey to Dirk Hartog Island in Western Australia, to the place where a bold rewilding project is underway to try to return it to its pre-European state. I also share my tips for surviving a long full flight in economy, chat to author Caroline Eden about why you can travel without ever leaving your kitchen and reveal the best European islands worth exploring. See you next time, Wander Woman out. The Wander Woman podcast is written and edited by me, Phoebe Smith. The producer and writer of additional material is Daniel Nielson. The logo was designed by John Summerton. Thank you to the Belize Tourist Board, found at travelbelize. org, who made this trip possible. A final thanks to all the people I met on my journey and were willing to talk to me. It's because of you that this podcast is able to happen at all.